American Family Ventures (AFV) has appointed Dr. Henna Karna as an Entrepreneur in Residence.

AFV Managing Director Dan Reed said that Karna’s “exceptional track record and leadership in technology innovation put her in position to bring next-level perspective to both our work as investors and our mission as change agents and innovation leaders. I look forward to how her expertise and insights contribute to our work with entrepreneurs who are transforming the future of insurance.”

With a career spanning over 25 years, Karna has held numerous senior-level positions and has been a regular on the keynote speaker circuit. She is known for her leadership of Google Cloud’s global insurance road map and has held executive positions with AXA, Verisk Digital Services and AIG. An advisor for the CDL-Wisconsin Risk Stream from Creative Destruction Lab, she brings a masters and a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts as well as an MBA from MIT.

AFV said that Karna’s appointment as an Entrepreneur in Residence underscores the company’s “commitment to nurturing innovation and supporting entrepreneurs who are reimagining the future of insurance.”

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Cyber underwriter Corvus Insurance announced that Albert Zhou is its new chief risk officer.

He reports to Corvus President Prashanth Gangu and joins the leadership team.

In his new role at Corvus, Zhou will focus on implementing best-in-class risk and actuarial practices by overseeing pricing, reserving, systemic risk modeling, risk accumulation and aggregation. He will also manage risk-taking through Corvus’s captive, Corvus Reinsurance Company.

Zhou brings more than 12 years of cross-functional insurance experience, with deep operational expertise in actuarial, risk and analytics. Prior to joining Corvus, he was the chief actuarial and analytics officer at SynchronoSure, an early stage commercial MGA. Previously, in 2021, he founded Toyl Ventures, a privately owned arbitrage trading firm focused on digital assets. Zhou also spent seven years at Third Point Re and SiriusPoint, most recently as SVP, actuarial director, where he led the U.S. actuarial team in pricing, reserving, capital modeling, and risk management. He began his career as an actuarial consultant at Ernst & Young and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

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Sal Pollaro has been named executive underwriting officer, Professional Liability, for Markel Specialty, a division within the Markel insurance business.

He replaces Jim Gray, who retired at the end of May.

In his new role, Pollaro will lead the professional liability team to generate profitable growth, including establishing underwriting strategies, driving product development, and enhancing technical and analytical capabilities. He will report to Jane Peterson, chief underwriting officer for Markel Specialty, and is based out of Markel’s New York City office.

Pollaro has over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. He joined Markel in 2009 and most recently served as managing director of Management and Professional Liability for Markel Specialty.